{"nrhp_refnum":"80004112","name":"Roberts-Banner Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"215 N. Mesa St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"El Paso","county":"El Paso County","state":"TX","lat":31.759289999000032,"lon":-106.48790999999994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-09-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story reinforced concrete commercial and office building at 215 North Mesa Street in El Paso, Texas, built in 1910 and designed by Trost and Trost.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant as one of the first reinforced concrete structures in the United States and is thought to be the first in El Paso built entirely of reinforced concrete. It was claimed to be the largest office building in El Paso when completed. Its exposed concrete facades are described as bold and direct for the date.","narrative":"Built in 1910 at 215 North Mesa Street in El Paso, this commercial and office building was designed by Trost and Trost as one of the firm's early experiments with reinforced concrete. A four-story, U-shaped office tower rises above a rectangular retail base. The concrete is left exposed, and ornament is limited to string courses, simplified plant motifs in recessed spandrels, stylized geometric forms above the fifth floor, a crowning cornice, and escutcheons at the bases of two flagpoles on the Mills Street side. Windows are one-over-one light. Street-level facades have been visually altered, though the changes appear mostly cosmetic. The El Paso Herald called it a skyscraper in 1910, and it was claimed to be the city's largest office building at completion. It is also thought to be the first built entirely of reinforced concrete. D. M. Roberts and W. M. Banner, described as New Mexico stock raisers, commissioned it. The building still serves commercial and office uses.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Trost and Trost","architectural_style":"Early 20th century commercial; stylized decoration","criteria":[],"status_note":"Present use is the same as the original use, commercial/office. The street-level facades have been altered, apparently largely cosmetically.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.597641-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/78/9688/40968878/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/80004112.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004112/b78f9f6f71-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004112/b78f9f6f71-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Rogelio Rivero Cagigas","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banner_Bldg_215MesaSt_ElPaso,TX01.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Rogelio Rivero Cagigas</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banner_Bldg_215MesaSt_ElPaso,TX01.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"97000885","name":"El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/el-paso-county-water-improvement-district-no-1-97000885/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40968878","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberts-Banner_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65103953"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/el-paso-county/roberts-banner-building-80004112/"}